This article commences with a historical perspective on state and economy in order to arrive at a characterisation of the nature of a constitutional state, in terms of the differently-natured legal spheres within a differentiated society. The focus then shifts to developing countries, the problem of poverty and the relevance of various theories of development. A literature review reveals as alternative theories for economic growth the linear-stages-growth model, the neo-Marxist (or dependency) growth model, the orthodox growth model and the structural growth theory. The single main objective of all these models is the quickest eradication of poverty, but these theories differ with regard to the most suitable ways in which to eradicate poverty on a sustained basis in the shortest possible time. Literature on development strategies currently favours either the orthodox model or the structural model, as the other two models have been discredited owing to recent experiences in economic growth and development. This challenge of poverty eradication has been described as one of melting the "Golden curtain" which separates wealthy countries in the northern hemisphere from the poor countries in the southern hemisphere. Although different models aiming at economic growth and economic development were used by different countries and in different regions, African countries have shown little progress in the eradication of poverty. Factors other than the application of particular development strategies therefore played a role and contributed, depending on the circumstances, either to a faster or to a slower eradication of poverty in different regions and countries. These discrepancies that occurred over a period of 30 years (1970 tot 2000) between certain parts of the world recording remarkable progress in their efforts to combat poverty on the one hand, compared to increases in poverty in other parts of the world on the other, require an assessment which takes into account a more encompassing perspective. On the basis of these considerations the question is then raised in this paper as to whether or not the "just state" can play a significant role in developing countries, inter alia, in the light of existing theories of development. The intimate coherence between a system of free enterprise, the free market and the juridical guarantees of a just state underpins key elements in the formulation of the conclusion of this article.

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Danie Strauss was appointed as Senior Lecturer in Philosophy at the then UOFS in 1971. In January 1976 he was promoted to associate professor and in October 1977 he assumed the position of professor and head of the Department of Philosophy at the UOFS. In 1994 he went to Canada, where, as the first Director of the Dooyeweerd Centre, he initiated the publication of the collected works of Herman Dooyeweerd in English. He returned to South Africa in 1997 and from 1 April 1998 to 31 December 2001 he was Dean of the new Faculty of Humanities at the UOFS. Apart from 15 independent publications, 35 international conference papers and 20 contributions to collected works, he has published about 230 articles in national and international journals. In 2006 his work on the philosophical foundations of the modern natural sciences was published by Peter Lang Publishers - Paradigmen in Mathematik, Physik und Biologie und ihre philosophische Wurzeln (216 pp.) (Frankfurt am Main). In 2006 Peter Lang also published his work Reintegrating Social Theory - Reflecting upon human society and the discipline of sociology (310 pp.) (Oxford / New York).

Jannie Rossouw is a deputy general manager of the SA Reserve Bank and is employed as a parttime lecturer in economics at the university of pretoria. He completed a master's degree in economics and an MBA at the University of Pretoria, as well as a PHD at the University of KwaZulu-Natal. He has published numerous academic papers in accredited journals in south africa and abroad, and he frequently addresses local and international conferences on his research interests. His current research focuses on inflation credibility and accuracy. In conjunction with his colleague Johan Fourie his research on political structures and macro-economic convergence in the SADC focuses on the eradication of poverty in the region.

Johan Fourie obtained his qualifications in political science from the former University of Port Elizabeth. He is currently the Executive Assistant of the Governor of the SA Reserve Bank. In conjunction with his colleague Jannie Rossouw his research focuses on the contribution of political structures and macro-economic convergence in the Southern African Development Community to the eradication of poverty. He has addressed local and international conferences on his research interests and his research has been published in accredited academic journals.